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| In this issue |
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Top Story
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Sign Our Petition!
HCWH Europe is demanding that EU legislation brings the healthcare sector away from unsustainable healthcare practices and to establish mechanisms to move towards a toxic-free European healthcare system. HCWH Europe calls on you to demand to the Members of the European Parliament that the medical devices legislation, currently being revised at the EU level, requires the phase out of hazardous chemicals in medical equipment, whenever safer alternatives are available. This will encourage the production and market uptake of medical devices that do not contain hazardous chemicals and will ensure the protection of our health and our environment. Please take 30 seconds to sign the petition and assist the campaign for responsible healthcare. more |
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Policy Updates
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REACH Implementation
In a discussion between the European Parliament's Environment Committee (ENVI), representatives from the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and the European Commission, concerns were raised over the slow implementation of REACH and the quality of many dossiers. Mr Dancet, the Executive Director of ECHA believes there is a need for further action on nanomaterials and EDCs as they are not specifically mentioned in REACH. Until the proposals have gone through the drawn-out process, the current situation will remain. (more). |
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Publications
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Climate change and health: a tool to estimate health and adaptation costs
An economic analysis tool devised by the World Health Organisation aims to support health adaptation planning in European Member States. It provides step-by-step guidance on estimating: the costs associated with damage to health due to climate change; the costs for adaptation in various sectors to protect health from climate change; and the efficiency of adaptation measures, i.e. the cost of adaptation versus the expected returns, or averted health costs (more). |
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Choice of contracts for quality in health care: evidence from the British NHS
Produced by The University of York’s Centre For Health Economics, this research paper examines how public sector third-party purchasers and hospitals negotiate quality targets when a fixed proportion of hospital revenue is required to be linked to quality (more). |
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Member Updates
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Centre for Sustainable Healthcare
 A project by the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare, Sustainable Healthcare Education, enlists medical students, academics and practitioners to explore and articulate priority learning outcomes and develop educational materials for sustainability in healthcare to use in medical schools across the UK and abroad. Click on more to discover some interesting case studies. (more). |
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Women in Europe for a Common Future (WECF)
WECF has launched a Facebook page for the English Nesting Project. Dedicated to creating a healthy indoor environment for you and your expected child or children, it will be sharing lots of useful tips for making your perfect nest. Also, the Spanish and English Project Nesting websites are developing constantly further with a newly introduced extra-section on information dossiers (more). |
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Open Calls
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Endocrinologists' Expertise Needed in EU Deliberations
As the European Commission prepares to take action on endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), The Endocrine Society also submitted an open letter urging the governing body to call upon the expertise of endocrinologists during its deliberations (more). |
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Call for experts in the Synthetic Biology area (SynBio)
The European Commission has requested the Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR), in association with the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) and with the Scientific Committee on Health and Environmental Risks (SCHER) to deliver an opinion on Synthetic Biology (SynBio). (more). |
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| Events |
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Oxford, United Kingdom: CleanMed Europe 2013
Date: 17-19 September 2013
CleanMed Europe is the only European conference on sustainability within the healthcare sector, addressing the environmental impact of the health care sector on a local, regional, and global level.
Key topics: Pathways to sustainable healthcare through greening hospitals and clinics, low-carbon technologies, leaner systems and preventative measures. Authorities.
Who should attend?: Health and social care professionals and managers, people from healthcare infrastructure (estates and facilities, finance, IT, energy, procurement and waste), patient leaders, industry leaders, researchers and experts in sustainability (more). |
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Oslo, Norway: IHF World Hospital Congress
Date: 18 - 20 June 2013
Key topics: New health care models, new technology and access to health services.
Oslo2013 is the forum in which leaders, policy makers and clinicians from all over the world will share their experiences and best practices in healthcare delivery.
Who should attend?: All top officials from the major international healthcare organisations (more). |
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Medical Devices
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New technology to replace PVC
The battle to replace flexible PVC film in medical applications with other materials will ratchet up a notch with new technologies that will be shown at a US event later this month. One example is a collaboration by three leading players in the development of olefin elastomers that can match technical properties of PVC plasticized with phthalates, which have been challenged as unsafe by several health authorities. (more). |
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Chemicals
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Chemicals: a worry for pregnant women?
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has issued a paper - looking at the "potential but unproven" risks from exposure to environmental chemicals in pregnancy. It says the purpose is to raise awareness and not to scare women (more). |
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Notice: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for research and educational purposes. As all these articles are public, some links might expire after some days after their release date. |
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